Responding to the threats, Pence’s director of communications Jarrod Agen said on Sunday that “it’s unfortunate that the Palestinian Authority is walking away again from an opportunity to discuss the future of the region.”

Despite the Palestinians’ conduct, he stated that the Trump administration “remains undeterred in its efforts to help achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians and our peace team remains hard at work putting together a plan.”

“The President has asked Vice President Pence to go to the region to reaffirm our commitment to work with partners throughout the Middle East to defeat radicalism that threatens the hopes and dreams of future generations,” Agen noted.